Walter Pincus talked about his career in journalism and some of his his recent writings on national security and defense issues. He detailed a couple of recent Pentagon projects he believes are examples of wasteful spending, such as a Huntsville, Alabama, Army band facility and an upgrade to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He compared the amount spent on infrastructure money abroad to the amount spend domestically, saying that expenditures in the U.S. are more scrutinized and subject to budget cutbacks. He also related his role in the Valerie Plame investigation involving media leaks and the CIA, his reasons for getting a law degree in 2001, and reminisced about his experiences working for former Senator William Fullbright (D-AR).
Mr. Pincus' career began as a New York Times copy boy. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1954 and served in the U.S. Army. He has worked for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Star, and New Republic, joining the Post in 1975.